Valve structure for steam conducting systems



Aug. 29, 1944. c. L FUNTAN 2,357,097

VALVE STRUCTURE FOR STEAM CONDUEJTING SYSTEMS Filed June 1l, 1945 INVENTOR1 yChamid Fun/mul.,

ATTORNEX Patented Aug. 29, 1944 VALVE STRUCTURE FOR STEAM CONDUCTING SYSTEMS Charles L. Funtan, Paterson, N. J.

Application June 11, 1943, Serial No. 490,425

(Cl. 27T-55) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to steam-conducting systems of the class in which, for instance, leading from and to a radiator there is a single pipe or conductor which serves to supply steam to the radiator and by which the water of condensation collecting in the radiator finds returnA to the steam source. The primary object of the invention is to eliminate the cause of the hammering which occurs when, the valve having been closed and water of condensation having collected beyond the valve relatively to the steam source, the valve is opened. This I accomplish by structure which may be applied to. an existing steam-conducting system without structural alteration thereof.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 shows in side elevation so much of a steam-conducting system as includes, immediately, my improvement, parts of which and the conductor are shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view lof the drainage passage portion and contained check valve;

Fig. 3 is a View generally similar to Fig. 1 but showing a different type of conducto-r valve and my improvement in modified form; and

Fig. 4 is a plan of the structure l-I4-I5 of Fig. 1.

The usual steam pipe or conductor is shown comprising an upright part or pipe proper I and a valve-casing 2 aiiixed to the pipe proper and joined to a pipe 3 for connecting the valve-casing to a radiator. Character 4 denotes the conductor valve and 5 the stem thereof, being movable up or down whereby the valve acts to permit or check the flow to the radiator, the valve in the standard system when devoid of my improvement being adapted to engage the usual valve-seat 8 when the valve is in Iclosing position, said valveseat being there the upwardly facing surface of what I term an annular support la formed around the axis of the upright part I of the conductor.

Describing the examples shown and having reference, first, to Figs. 1 and 2;

1 designates a tube whose bore may be open at the upper but is closed at the lower end, as at 1a, and 8 another tube whose bore is also open at the upper and closed at the lower end, as at 8a, and being shorter than tube 'I'. The tubes are rigidly secured together, as by welding, in parallelism and with their closed ends here ush with each other. Near their lower ends they are formed with a connecting port 9 and between this port and the upper end of tube 8 the latter has aport I0, open to the exterior. An apertured valve-seat II exists in tube 8 between ports 9 and I0 and arranged to seat thereon is a check Valve I2 which may have a known type of upstanding portion I2a (formed cross-shaped in plan) simply to conne the valve to axial relation to the bore of the tube. This valve is free to move, past port I0, between limits dened by the Valve-seat and a stop-pin I3. What is formed by the two tubes provides a J-shaped drain passage a which extends from an intake port 1b near the upper end of tube 'I to port II), being incidentally in this example restricted where it is in part formed by port 9 and the aperture of the valve-seat, so much of the passage as extends from its deepest part to the level of port I0 forming a liquid trap or collector. When the check Valve I2 rests on its valve-seat flow of fluid (as steam) entering port Ill and seeking to pass the valve-seat is prevented by said Valve; but if liquid in suflicient quantity be entered at port 'Ib of tube 'I the valve will be raised by the liquid from the valve-seat to .a level more or less to uncover port I0, whereby escape of the liquid at such port will occur.

The structure including the two tubes and check valve is completed by what I term a head fast to the upper end portion of tube 'I and including a pair of horizontal spaced superposed disks I4 and one or more tubes I5 connecting the disks, their upper ends not projecting above the upper disk `and their lower ends preferably projecting below the lower disk if, as shown, they are several in number and squally spaced from tube 'I and each other. The tubes 1 8 are of such aggregate diameter as to enter the aperture formed by the annular support Ia but the lower disk is of greater diameter than such aperture whereby the mentioned head may seat on said support as shown so that the upper disk then provides the valve-seat for valve 4. When the said structure is in operative position, as shown, in the conductor liquid may flow to the tube 'I from the radiator via port 'IbI in the tube (or the part of the tube between the disks may be removed).

In Fig. 3 the conductor valve I6 is of frustroconical form and the Valve-seat Il similarly formed. The head of my said structure is in effect a solid or single thick disk I8 formed with surfaces I8a and I'liy to t the conical surfaces, respectively, of the valve and valve-seat. The disk is formed with one or more ports I 9 for steam flow, extending up through it, and a Water-drainagey port 20.

In either of the forms shown the conductor may be regarded as having a passage for flowing steam (alforded by any tube l5 or by a port I9) closable by the conductor valve. The drain passage a is independent of the steam passage, having its intake (at 1b or at the upper end of tube 'I in Fig. 3) below the peak, or here the upper end, of the steam passage, so that drainage may ensue, and open to the conductor space at that side of said steam passage to which the latter discharges `and at a point removed from the valve when the latter is in closing position, whereby the valve when closed will not then prevent drainage. And the check valve isl normally urged to close said outlet but is displaceable, by liquid accumulating in passage a, out of closing relation to said outlet. Passage a. being preferably J- shaped and port I0 being provided in its short leg and the check valve being normally held depressed in such leg below said port, as here by gravity, steam may not enter the latter to flow through passage a, as when the conductor valve is closed.

Having thus fullyY described my invention, what I claim ist 1. The combination of the upright part of a steam conductor having an annular support formed around its aXis and providing an annular valve-seat, structure in the conductor comprising a head resting on said support and a portion depending from said head, said head having a passage permitting ow of steam through the conduotor upwardly past said support and said structure having a passage, independent of the rst-named passage and permitting flow of water downwardly past said support, which depends into and has its discharge outlet in said portion, said structure coasting with said support to prevent fluid-ow past said support except via said passages, a check-valve normally urged into closing relation to said outlet but displaceable therefrom by liquid accumulating in the secondnamed passage, and a iconductor valve movable into closing relation to the rst-named, independently of the second-named, passage.

2. The combination of the upright part of a steam conductor having an annular support formed around its axis and providing an annular valve-seat, structure in the `conductor comprising a head resting on said support and a portion depending from said head, said head having a passage permitting ow of steam through the conductor upwardly past said support and said structure having a generally J-shaped passage, independent of the rst-named passage and permitting flow of water downwardly past said support, which depends into and has its discharge outlet in said portion and in the shorter leg of the J-shaped passage, said structure coacting with said support to obstruct fluid-flow past the support except via said passages, a Check-Valve for said outlet arranged in said shorter leg and normally urged to a position therein below, but displaceable by liquid accumulating in the second-named passage upwardly past the outlet, and a valve movable into closing relation to the first-named, independently of the second-named, passage.

CHARLES L. FUN TAN. 

